Whether you recently switched to a remote setup due to the COVID-19 pandemic or you’ve been working from home for years, you’ve likely encountered some of the unique challenges that come with telecommuting.

While it’s easy to feel lonely or inattentive while working from home, there are several steps employees can take to create a productive home office environment, according to Eric Bloom, a professor at Clark University’s School of Professional Studies (SPS). In his presentation, “Working on Virtual Teams,” Bloom offers tips and techniques for communicating effectively, maximizing productivity, and delivering superior results while working remotely, including advice on:

• Using virtual technologies
• Creating a productive home office environment
• Maximizing your personal energy
• Communicating with your coworkers
• Work profile requirements
• Health and life balance

“Think about how to combine different technologies you have in innovative combinations and ways to make it a little easier to get your work done,” he says.

For extroverts, working remotely can be particularly difficult. Without others to interact with, many find it difficult to maintain their energy level, or report feeling caged and lonely. Bloom recommends scheduling video calls throughout the day, returning emails and phone calls to enhance interaction, and creating background noise.

“If you’re an extrovert, having a TV in the background or talk radio or something like that – soft enough so that it doesn’t bother you, but loud enough so that you don’t hear silence,” he says.

Want to learn more? View the full version of the presentation, which is part of the SPS Talks series, “Staying Effective in Uncertain Times.” Offered by Clark faculty members, the interactive webinars address organizational and personal leadership topics relevant to these stressful times.